Authors Posts by Justin Sanders
Justin Sanders
The late Justin Sanders (1957-2016) hailed from Astoria, New York. Long time Civil War enthusiast whose focus has been sighted in on the History of the Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps.
Chatting With “Uncle Abe” : Wayne County Civil War Soldiers Meet President Lincoln
In a security-conscious world, few people are less accessible to the public than a United States president. The chance of an average citizen having an unscripted encounter with the Chief Executive are about as...
Dr. Nathaniel Frederick Marsh: A Honesdale Man’s Page in History.
Nathaniel Frederick Marsh was an ordinary man caught up in extraordinary circumstances. On the morning of July 1, 1862, the Honesdale resident found himself standing center stage with a group of men destined to...
Washington, April 15th, 1861
Washington, D.C. –A Proclamation.
Whereas, The laws of the United States have been, for some time past, and are now, opposed, and the execution thereof obstructed in the States of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida,...
Harrisburg: April 17th, 1861
April 17, 1861 – Wednesday.
Harrisburg –
When Andrew Curtin returned to the state capital on Wednesday, April 17, no one person was happier about it than his beleaguered Secretary of the Commonwealth, Eli Slifer. During...
Harrisburg: April 18th, 1861
April 18, 1861 – Thursday.
The Washington Artillery’s overnight stay at Harrisburg amounted to a two-hour nap in straw, heaped on the floor of a meeting hall. Worn by a long day of travel and...
Patterson’s Problems: April 19th-21st, 1861
April 21, 1861 – Sunday.Military Department of Washington –
The matter of reinforcing Washington became infinitely more complicated on the afternoon of April 19.
After a day long delay, Militia General William F. Small started forward...
Harrisburg: April 23, 1861
April 23, 1861 – Tuesday.Harrisburg –
Mayor William H. Kepner could not recall a time when Harrisburg was gripped by greater excitement. The city’s transformation from a peaceful seat of government into an armed camp...
Capital Salvation, April 25, 1861
April 25, 1861, Thursday.Military Department of Washington –
Ten full days after calling for 75,000 volunteers, Abraham Lincoln grew despondent over the future of his presidency. To date, the Pennsylvania battalion and the Sixth Massachusetts’...
Patterson’s Solution: April 26th, 1861
April 26, 1861, Friday.Philadelphia
Friday morning marked one week, to the day, since Robert Patterson assumed command of the Military Department of Washington. His watch had been an exercise in anxiety and frustration, as taxing...
Harrisburg: April 28th, 1861
Harrisburg –
When Andrew Curtin sent out orders on Tuesday, commanding all militia units that had not yet set out for Harrisburg to stand down, it was, probably, with the expectation that a short season...
